http://if.com.au/ Inside Film - Australia en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss info@if.com.au (The Editor) http://if.com.au/2012/05/14/article/Australia-wins-its-first-ever-Best-of-Rose-dOr/NWWEESGCUJ.html http://if.com.au/2012/05/14/article/Australia-wins-its-first-ever-Best-of-Rose-dOr/NWWEESGCUJ.html Paul Bugeja <p> An Australian program, Go Back To Where You Came From, has won the Best of Rose d’Or at the prestigious television festival held each year in Lucerne, Switzerland, for the first time ever.</p> <p> The three-part documentary series apparently had the unanimous support of the 10-member judging panel; it was eligible because it won the award for factual entertainment, one of the 12 categories included in the awards.</p> <p> Produced by Cordell Jigsaw, Go Back to Where you Came From offered six Australians the chance to walk in the shoes of refugees as they undertook a 25-day journey typical of the arduous path some refugees take to get to Australia to claim refugee status.</p> <p> It was a smash hit for SBS, taking the mantle of top-ranked show for 2011.</p> <p> In a statement, SBS managing director Michael Ebeid said he believed Go Back to Where you Came From has set a new standard for SBS Television.</p> <p> Controversially received at the time, “the series sparked national debate about a topic so often hijacked by political campaigning and media headlines, by providing a unique and compelling perspective on the realities of refugee life," he said.</p> <p> The series received recognition at home when it won a Logie for the most outstanding factual show and collected two awards at the 2011 United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Awards for best television documentary.</p> <p> Michael Cordell, a principal of and executive producer atCordell Jigsaw, said that putting the series together was "an extraordinary effort by the production team”. He also thanked the refugees involved for telling the stories, the participants for their bravery in undertaking the journey and SBS for their bold choice in programming.</p> <p> "We believe this series has relevance to so many countries around the world grappling with refugee issues and that played a part in the success of the series at the Rose d'Or,” Cordell said.</p> <p> The format has been sold throughout Europe (Denmark, Israel, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden), South Africa and to BBC America.</p> <p> A second series is in production, featuring former Defence Minister Peter Reith, model Imogen Bailey, former Rose Tattoo front-man Angry Anderson and former 2UE Sydney shock-jock Mike Smith.</p> Mon, 14 May 2012 12:55:24 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/05/08/article/SBS-gets-158-1-million-funding-boost/MKMUNENODC.html http://if.com.au/2012/05/08/article/SBS-gets-158-1-million-funding-boost/MKMUNENODC.html Sandy George <p> SBS scored an additional $158.1 million over five years in the 2012-13 budget tonight to “ensure it remains a vibrant and dynamic broadcaster” and to give it the resources it needs get a new indigenous free-to-air channel into Australian lounge rooms by the end of the year.</p> <p> “This represents the most significant funding boost SBS has ever had, and will ensure SBS can continue to provide a unique broadcasting service that includes comprehensive television, radio and online services,” said the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy in a statement.</p> <p> In the context of Australia being a multicultural society, he described the broadcaster as “one of Australia’s most important institutions” and noted that it was being affected by a rapidly changing broadcasting landscape.</p> <p> “This additional funding will allow SBS to address its immediate financial pressures, adapt to the changing media environment and build or upgrade its technology capabilities,” he said. But he also implied that the independent production sector would benefit from more commissioning activity. </p> <p> The National Film and Sound Archive is another institution that will benefit from the budget, being one of eight collecting institutions that has received a funding boost of $39.3 million over four years. </p> Tue, 08 May 2012 20:43:06 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/05/04/article/See-Saw-appoints-Jamie-Laurenson-as-head-of-television/AVWDPYAXWS.html http://if.com.au/2012/05/04/article/See-Saw-appoints-Jamie-Laurenson-as-head-of-television/AVWDPYAXWS.html Sandy George <p> See-Saw Films has hired former senior BBC executive Jamie Laurenson as its head of television, to be based in the company’s London office from July.</p> <p> See-Saw, owned by Sydney-based Emile Sherman and UK-based Iain Canning, is currently in production on its first television show, Top of the Lake, a six-part series being directed by Jane Campion for BBC2, UKTV Australia and the Sundance Channel – and for distributor BBC Worldwide.</p> <p> Laurenson was executive producer for BBC Films & commissioning editor for drama for BBC 4 for four years. Films he was involved in included An Education, My Week With Marilyn, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen and the documentary Project Nim, and his television credits include Toast and Holy Flying Circus. </p> <p> “Jamie is the perfect fit for our company,” said See-Saw in a statement. “As an incredibly experienced film and television executive we are excited by his decision to focus solely on developing and growing our television business. “Increasingly there appears to be no distinction between film and television talent and hiring Jamie puts us in the best position to take advantage of that.”</p> <p> Laurenson said: “I have been very lucky to work with a host of immensely talented people whilst at BBC Films and am very grateful for all I’ve learned here from colleagues and collaborators. I'm really looking forward to the new challenge and to continuing a strong relationship with the BBC."</p> <p> Since it was established in 2008, See-Saw’s production credits have included Steve McQueen’s Shame, Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, which won the Academy Award for best film in 2011, Oranges and Sunshine from Jim Loach and The Kings of Mykonos from Peter Andrikidis.</p> Fri, 04 May 2012 11:51:05 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/04/27/article/Seven-West-Media-downgrades-earnings-expectations/CNXTVCSYIX.html http://if.com.au/2012/04/27/article/Seven-West-Media-downgrades-earnings-expectations/CNXTVCSYIX.html Brendan Swift <p> Seven West Media's shock earnings downgrade earlier this week sent its shares into a nosedive and has cast a pall over the media sector.</p> <p> The company said the TV, newspaper and magazine market is unlikely to strengthen in the final quarter. The company, which has led the TV ratings by a substantial margin, now expects full year earnings before interest and tax between $460 million and $470 million, implying a second half earnings fall of 25-30 per cent.</p> <p> The announcement sent Seven shares more than 22 per cent lower yesterday.</p> <p> Deutsche Bank analysts said the trading update, released after the market closed on Tuesday, was a disappointment and showed the pressure that traditional media companies are under. Rival network Ten posted a 40 per cent first half decline in group earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation earlier this year.</p> <p> "This weak trading update despite the strong TV ratings performance, suggests that the company is finding it difficult to monetise its rating success and the significant investment in content in the subdued market conditions," Deutsche Bank analysts said.</p> <p> Deutsche Bank expects traditional advertising revenues to decline by 2.5 per cent across the industry in 2011-12.</p> <p> Seven also said it remains committed to keeping costs below CPI except continuing investment in programming in its television division. Deutsche Bank estimates that Seven's AFL expenditure of $100 million will drive up costs in its television division by 8.3 per cent.</p> Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:32:22 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/04/17/article/NAB-Show-James-Cameron-says-3D-television-will-post-explosive-growth/PILNFWQVSR.html http://if.com.au/2012/04/17/article/NAB-Show-James-Cameron-says-3D-television-will-post-explosive-growth/PILNFWQVSR.html Brendan Swift <p> Filmmaker James Cameron says 3D television broadcasting is set for a period of explosive growth now that networks can simultaneously shoot both stereoscopic and 2D at minimal cost.</p> <p> The filmmaker - who re-popularised 3D with his film Avatar in 2009 - said 3D had now unified the world of movies and television in terms of equipment, which allows development costs to be amortised over a broad spectrum.</p> <p> "We're ahead of the curve in movies relative to broadcast but we're dealing with the same transition now - the growing pains, the questions and the uncertainty, the doubts, the naysayers, the scoffers - and the success stories," Cameron told an audience at this year's NAB Show alongside his business partner Vince Pace. "We have triumph after triumph when we're out there as practitioners of this art."</p> <p> CPG's stereoscopic equipment and methodologies have been used over the past year to produce 3D broadcasts of the US Open tennis, which was recognised with an Emmy, as well as the US Masters golf and Winter X Games, which have garnered Emmy nominations.</p> <p> It marks a change for the broadcast industry which only recently had viewed 3D production as a costly experiment, which sat outside of their existing workflows, Cameron said, while the 3D industry had done itself a disservice by making 3D production "mysterious".</p> <p> "We realised there was a disconnect - the message that was coming out of the 3D community was you don't know what you're doing, you therefore need us."</p> <p> Cameron referred to his methodology as 5D - simultaneously producing 2D and 3D output - and unveiled several new CPG products at the show. "The future of 3D is broadcast and that's where we're going to see explosive growth over the next few years."</p> <p> Meanwhile, Cameron also said he continued to run tests on whether to shoot his Avatar sequels at either 48 frames per second (fps) or 60fps. Shooting at such higher frame rates rather than the current 24fps standard, would improve the picture quality of 3D films. Peter Jackson has already started shooting The Hobbit films at 48fps, which will prompt exhibitors to upgrade their projection equipment this year.</p> <p> "The projector technology is there; the major projector manufacturers are moving toward high frame rate capability," Cameron said. "The cameras already do it - the EPIC, the ALEXA the others, they'll all run the high speed rates so we're essentially there technologically, we just have to look at the impact to visual effects and post-production."</p> Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:50:59 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/04/16/article/SPAA-Conference-to-move-to-Melbourne-the-Logies-are-staying-there/GQRGGJYZTN.html http://if.com.au/2012/04/16/article/SPAA-Conference-to-move-to-Melbourne-the-Logies-are-staying-there/GQRGGJYZTN.html Sandy George <p> The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) has struck a deal with the Victorian Government to hold the next three annual conferences in Melbourne, starting this year.</p> <p> SPAA executive director Geoff Brown would not reveal how much public money is being provided for the event but said the decision on the location of the conference is never just about the highest bid.</p> <p> “We had not held the conference in Melbourne since 2003 and we thought it was time to recognize Melbourne as a significant production hub, particularly for television,” said Brown, who has been negotiating with the Victorian Government for three months. “It is a substantial sponsorship package and it allows SPAA to deliver on the production values we are renowned for.”</p> <p> The news was formally announced on the eve of the Logie Awards by Louise Asher, the Victorian Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business, and Minister for Tourism and Major Events. She used the opportunity to also note that the Logies would be staying at Crown in Melbourne for the next five years. The SPAA deal is only for three years but it may extend to five years: one option being discussed is that the conference moves to a regional area in Victoria for the following two years.</p> <p> The 2012 SPAA Conference will be held from November 12-15 at Central Pier Docklands, a $30 million redevelopment of heritage listed buildings on a jetty that juts into Victorian Harbour. A ferry, the Lady Cutler, is part of the venue and will also be used during the event.Œ Some parts of the conference program will also be staged at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), with delegates bussed over from Central Pier Docklands. ACMI accommodated a conference soon after it opened but, because of permanent exhibits, is no longer big enough.</p> <p> The SPAA Conference has been held in Sydney for the past three years and on Queensland’s Gold Coast for the five years previously. The 2012 SPAA Conference will be Brown’s last as executive director and when the SPAA Council meets this Wednesday a committee will be formed to handle the process of finding a replacement for him.</p> Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:01:09 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/04/16/article/Hamish-Blake-takes-out-the-gold-logie-but-ABC-dominates/SVAWNBQIPA.html http://if.com.au/2012/04/16/article/Hamish-Blake-takes-out-the-gold-logie-but-ABC-dominates/SVAWNBQIPA.html Paul Bugeja <p> Loving the underdog is what Aussies are all about, and this was proved again last night at the 54th Annual Logies Awards Ceremony held at Crown Palladium in Melbourne.</p> <p> Despite Carrie Bickmore of Channel 10’s highly successful The Project being the favourite to take out the major gong, the Gold Logie for most popular personality on TV went instead to comedian Hamish Blake of Hamish and Andy’s Gap Year.</p> <p> In a minor controversy leading up to this unexpected win, while testing its new IPad application the Herald Sun experienced a technical glitch, leading to the publishing of a link to an embargoed press release containing Logies winners an hour prior to the Gold Logie being officially announced during Channel Nine’s coverage.</p> <p> The link was killed immediately, but not before Google picked it up. In the split second it was available, lucky net-trawlers picked it up and leaked it onto Facebook and Twitter, which erupted with chatter over Blake’s win.</p> <p> Although some journalists covering the awards began to received word about this inadvertent slip-up, such did not reach Blake himself, and so the win came as a genuine surprise to the Nine Network’s funny-man.</p> <p> Blake, overjoyed at his surprise victory, was quick to thank right-hand man Andy Lee, who he felt jointly deserved the Gold Logie. In a double whammy for Blake, the pair was awarded the Logie for their show Hamish and Andy’s Gap Year in the Most Popular Light Entertainment Program category.</p> <p> The other big surprise of the evening came the way of the ABC. On the back of immensely popular shows such as Matchbox Pictures production The Slap, which attracted consistently high ratings for the network, the broadcaster took home one third of the 23 awards from the night.</p> <p> These were predominantly in the industry-based awards, with the popular awards being shared fairly evenly amongst the commercial networks and the ABC.</p> <p> SBS managed to snare just the one award for the night for its well-received documentary style program Go Back To Where You Came From, which took out the Outstanding Factual Program Logie.</p> <p> Œ</p> <p> FULL LIST OF AWARDS</p> <p> Gold Logie, Most Popular Personality on TV Hamish Blake (Hamish & Andy's Gap Year, Nine Network)</p> <p> Silver Logie, Most Popular Actress Asher Keddie (Offspring, Network Ten / Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo, ABC1)</p> <p> Silver Logie, Most Popular Actor Hugh Sheridan (Packed To The Rafters, Seven Network)</p> <p> Silver Logie, Most Popular Presenter Adam Hills (Spicks and Specks / In Gordon St Tonight, ABC1)</p> <p> Most Popular New Male Talent Steve Peacocke (Home and Away, Seven Network)</p> <p> Most Popular New Female Talent Melissa Bergland (Winners & Losers, Seven Network)</p> <p> Most Popular Drama Series Packed To The Rafters (Seven Network)</p> <p> Most Popular Light Entertainment Program Hamish & Andy's Gap Year (Nine Network)</p> <p> Most Popular Lifestyle Program Better Homes & Gardens (Seven Network)</p> <p> Most Popular Sports Program 2011 AFL Grand Final (Network Ten)</p> <p> Most Popular Reality Program The Block (Nine Network)</p> <p> Most Popular Factual Program Bondi Rescue (Network Ten)</p> <p> Silver Logie, Outstanding Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie The Slap (ABC1)</p> <p> Silver Logie, Outstanding Actor Rob Carlton (Paper Giants, ABC1)</p> <p> Silver Logie, Outstanding Actress Melissa George (The Slap, ABC1)</p> <p> Graham Kennedy Award for Outstanding New Talent Chelsie Preston Crayford (Underbelly: Razor, Nine Network)</p> <p> Outstanding News Coverage The Queensland Floods (Nine News, Nine Network)</p> <p> Outstanding Public Affairs Report A Bloody Business (Four Corners/Sarah Ferguson, ABC1)</p> <p> Outstanding Light Entertainment Program Spicks And Specks (ABC1)</p> <p> Outstanding Sports Coverage State Of Origin III (Nine Network)</p> <p> Outstanding Children's Program My Place (ABC3)</p> <p> Outstanding Factual Program Go Back To Where You Came From (SBS)</p> Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:58:17 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/04/13/article/Nominations-announced-for-10th-ASTRA-Awards/TAHJLHMUNN.html http://if.com.au/2012/04/13/article/Nominations-announced-for-10th-ASTRA-Awards/TAHJLHMUNN.html Amanda Diaz <p> The nominations for the 10th annual ASTRA awards have been announced, with Killing Time (TV1), the second season of Spirited (W) and Tim Winton's cloudstreet (showcase) are competing for the honour of most outstanding drama.</p> <p> Ninety five entries were selected across 21 categories for the subscription television awards.</p> <p> Fox8's teen drama series SLiDE has been received a nod in the most outstanding use of innovation in programming category for its multiplatform strategyŒ- which saw entertainment company Hoodlum create an interactive website featuring graphic novels, music and webisodes.</p> <p> Not all content recognised is local. Subscribers can vote for their favourite international drama, with showcase favourite Game of Thrones competing against Haven (13th Street), Boardwalk Empire (showcase), Torchwood: Miracle Day (UKTV), Falling Skies (Fox8) and True Blood (showcase).</p> <p> The 10th annual ASTRA awards will be held at Sydney Theatre on June 21.</p> <p> For a complete list of finalists, see below. CHANNEL OF THE YEAR</p> <p> The LifeStyle Channel showcase FOX SPORTS SKY NEWS SUBSCRIBER'S CHOICE</p> <p> Favourite Program - Australian</p> <p> Foo Fighters: Wasting Light On The Harbour (Channel [V] & MAX)</p> <p> Wife Swap Australia (LifeStyle YOU)</p> <p> Selling Houses Australia Extreme (The LifeStyle Channel)</p> <p> Spirited Season 2 (W Channel)</p> <p> Australia's Next Top Model Series 7 (FOX8)</p> <p> Project Runway Australia Series 3 (Arena) Kalgoorlie Cops (Crime & Investigation Network)</p> <p> On The Couch (FOX SPORTS) Œ</p> <p> Favourite ProgramŒ- International Grand Designs Series 9 The LifeStyle Channel</p> <p> Deadliest Catch Discovery Channel</p> <p> Big Fat Gypsy Weddings LifeStyle YOU</p> <p> The British Royal Wedding 2011 UKTV</p> <p> Gold Rush: Alaska Discovery Channel</p> <p> EastEnders UKTV</p> <p> Man Vs. Wild Discovery Channel</p> <p> American Idol Series 11 FOX8 Favourite ProgramŒ- International Drama Game of Thrones Season 1 showcase</p> <p> Haven 13th Street</p> <p> Boardwalk Empire Season 1 showcase</p> <p> Torchwood: Miracle Day UKTV</p> <p> Breaking Bad Season 4 showcase</p> <p> Falling Skies FOX8</p> <p> True Blood Season 4 showcase</p> <p> Favourite Personality - Female Jane Gazzo Channel [V]</p> <p> Charlotte Dawson FOX8</p> <p> Donna Hay The LifeStyle Channel</p> <p> Sarah Murdoch FOX8</p> <p> Megan Gale Arena</p> <p> Lee Furlong FOX8</p> <p> Favourite Personality - Male Danny Clayton Channel [V]</p> <p> Andrew Winter The LifeStyle Channel</p> <p> Jason Dunstall FOX SPORTS</p> <p> Andrew 'ET' Ettingshausen Discovery Channel</p> <p> Rove McManus FOX8</p> <p> Billy Russell Channel [V]</p> <p> Alex Perry FOX8 Phil Kearns FOX SPORTS PROGRAMMING & PRODUCTION</p> <p> ÂŒ</p> <p> Most Outstanding Children's Program or Event The Amazing World of Gumball Cartoon Network</p> <p> Move It Mob Style® NITV</p> <p> Camp Orange: Wrong Town Nickelodeon</p> <p> ÂŒ</p> <p> Most Outstanding Music Program or Coverage Foo Fighters: Wasting Light On The Harbour Channel [V] & MAX</p> <p> Smoke & Mirrors STUDIO</p> <p> The Riff Channel [V]</p> <p> Most Outstanding Sports Program or Coverage Rugby World Cup 2011 FOX SPORTS</p> <p> Aussies Abroad: 2011 World Ironman Championship ESPN</p> <p> KFC T20 Big Bash League FOX SPORTS</p> <p> The Code - Life With The Waratahs FOX SPORTS Most Outstanding Documentary Forecast for Disaster: La Nina Strikes The Weather Channel</p> <p> Tony Robinson Explores Australia The History Channel</p> <p> Australia's Great Flood National Geographic Channel</p> <p> Kalgoorlie Cops Crime & Investigation Network</p> <p> The Bombing of Darwin: An Awkward Truth The History Channel Most Outstanding News Program or Coverage Qantas Grounded SKY NEWS</p> <p> Tropical Cyclone Yasi Coverage The Weather Channel</p> <p> Gillard V Rudd SKY NEWS Most Outstanding Reality Program</p> <p> Cricket Superstar FOX8</p> <p> Project Runway Australia Series 3 Arena</p> <p> Australia's Next Top Model Series 7 FOX8 Kalgoorlie Cops Crime & Investigation Network</p> <p> Most Outstanding Lifestyle Program Selling Houses Australia Extreme</p> <p> The LifeStyle Channel B430 Season 3</p> <p> Channel [V] Donna Hay - Fast, Fresh, Simple The LifeStyle Channel</p> <p> Planet Cake LifeStyle FOOD Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program The Riff Channel [V]</p> <p> Balls of Steel Australia The Comedy Channel</p> <p> ROVE LA FOX8 Most Outstanding Drama Spirited Season 2 W Channel</p> <p> Killing Time TV1</p> <p> Tim Winton's cloudstreet showcase Most Outstanding Use of Innovation in Programming FOX FIELD FOX SPORTS WTF! Channel [V]</p> <p> SLiDE FOX8</p> <p> THIRD EYE FOX SPORTS TALENT Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor - Male David Wenham TV1</p> <p> Hugo Johnstone-Burt showcase Steve Le Marquand Movie Extra</p> <p> Geoff Morrell showcase Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor - Female Essie Davis showcase</p> <p> Diana Glenn TV1</p> <p> Kerry Fox showcase</p> <p> Claudia Karvan W Channel Most Outstanding Performance by a Presenter Sarah Murdoch FOX8</p> <p> Andrew Winter The LifeStyle Channel</p> <p> Rove McManus FOX8</p> <p> Luke & Wyatt Nickelodeon</p> <p> Most Outstanding Performance by a Broadcast Journalist Ashleigh Gillon SKY NEWS Kieran Gilbert SKY NEWS</p> <p> Josh Holt The Weather Channel</p> <p> David Speers SKY NEWS Best New Talent Lara Robinson showcase</p> <p> Ben Britton Nat Geo Wild</p> <p> Hugo Johnstone-Burt showcase</p> Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:30:12 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/04/13/article/Network-Ten-profits-fall-70-per-cent/ZCJGLYFVRL.html http://if.com.au/2012/04/13/article/Network-Ten-profits-fall-70-per-cent/ZCJGLYFVRL.html Amanda Diaz <p> Ten Network Holdings has posted a 70 per cent fall in half year profit, with the network reporting a drop of $15 million year-on-year for the six months leading to the 29th of February.</p> <p> Revenue in that period was down 11 per cent to $431 million.</p> <p> Ten's shareholders, who have already seen stock fall 45 per cent in the last year, will not be seeing a dividend.</p> <p> The network attributes revenue loss to difficult advertising market and predicts 2012 will continue to be a difficult year due to the impact of the Olympics (which will be broadcast on Nine and Foxtel) and the historical ratings trend.</p> <p> Earlier this year, Deutsche Bank analysts raised concerns about Ten's ratings performance, observing that despite the introduction of a new program schedule, the average ratings share was 25 per cent, with new shows losing momentum week by week. </p> <p> High hopes are held for the upcoming series of Masterchef, which has traditionally been Ten's highest rating program. New shows including Puberty Blues, Being Lara Bingle and The Shire are also hoping to boost viewing figures. </p> Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:29:58 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/04/11/article/Beaconsfield-behind-the-production-design-with-Jon-Rohde/RFZIBZODQL.html http://if.com.au/2012/04/11/article/Beaconsfield-behind-the-production-design-with-Jon-Rohde/RFZIBZODQL.html Sam Dallas <p> The Beaconsfield mine collapse of 2006 was one of the most gripping events to ever rock this country. Sam Dallas finds out how it was recreated for telemovie Beaconsfield, which will premiere on Sunday, April 22, at 8.30pm on Channel Nine. </p> <p> For his latest screen project, Sydney-based filmmaker Jon Rohde had to descend 1km underground to research the look and feel of a working gold mine. Not your typical day for a production designer.</p> <p> It was dark, it was dingy, it was claustrophobic – it was essential. In what was probably Rohde’s most challenging project to date, the filmmaker had to document everything he saw with precision because it had to be recreated in a short period of time with limited resources.</p> <p> “This particular project had to be spot on because there was so much media coverage,” he says, describing the 2006 Beaconsfield mine collapse. No-one knew the nightmare facing trapped miners Brant Webb and Todd Russell, who spent two weeks underground after a small earthquake triggered a rock fall.</p> <p> “I saw my role on this one as creating the environment that we didn’t see, as the public,” Rohde says. “This involved finding a balance between recreating the truth of what happened and using artistic licence to tell the story.”</p> <p> Rohde, whose credits include Paper Giants and Blood Brothers, worked closely with Beaconsfield director Glendyn Ivin and cinematographer Toby Oliver ACS on the look and how the job would be achieved based on time and budget.</p> <p> With limited pre-production time, Melbourne-based set construction company Illusions started work on the production while Filmtrix worked on the practical special effects.</p> <p> Rohde says the sets needed to be designed and engineered to allow for flexibility of coverage and to incorporate practical special effect components: shaking ground, falling rocks and water. </p> <p> Their work had to be as realistic as possible because it was going to appear in an actual mine, as well as a large warehouse, where the metal cage which protected them from the collapse was recreated. The cage, which was to be filmed from every angle, was made up of steel, rocks, paint and dirt and was about 2.5-square metres.</p> <p> “That was the smallest set that we built but in a way the most complex,” says Rohde, a Queensland College of Art graduate.</p> <p> Illusions’ managing director Grant Slotboom says it was a cramped environment but bigger than what Webb and Russell were in. It had to be made in such a way that it was claustrophobic while also being comfortable enough for actors Shane Jacobson and Lachy Hulme.</p> <p> The fake rocks, made out of concrete and polyurethane foam, had to match the colour and texture of the real rocks. These rocks were put onto big tilting drop rigs, built by Filmtrix, so the rocks could fall at a controlled speed. Darkness acted as an ‘extended set’ in the mine and allowed the rigging and water effects to be hidden during filming.</p> <p> “So we’d spread the rocks and the dust and we had layers so the drop rigs were in three sections – you’d drop them in sequence so to the camera, it looked like a rockfall,” Filmtrix’s Peter Stubbs says.</p> <p> The effects team replicated the strong, shaking ground and flying dirt by placing vibration motors under the cage. Later, when the recovery effort was scaled back to prevent another collapse, Stubbs used air cannons, a vibration motor and air jacks.</p> <p> The massive set, which took up the whole of the warehouse studio (about 150m), rested on a series of shaped ribs which supported the cave and painted rock surfaces, according to Rohde. The rock was made out of chicken wire hessian, sprayed-on concrete and moulded foam panels. Shipping containers were used at one end to contain the real rock pile and to provide an elevated platform for the camera.</p> <p> “Some of the set elements were recycled as other parts of the mine because we were running out of resources. This required us to schedule the shooting around a reconfiguration of part of this set,” says Rohde.</p> <p> Some of the specialised machinery – such as a raisebore machine – had to be built as an oversized prop. And furthermore it had to be functional. Due to dark and wet conditions, shooting took longer than usual and was completed – about six weeks. Webb and Russell acted as consultants on the emotional telemovie, produced by John Edwards and Jane Liscombe and penned by Judi McCrossin.</p> <p> This article originally appeared in IF #145 (Feb-March 2012). </p> Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:55:00 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/04/10/article/Anthony-LaPaglia-and-Rachel-Griffiths-to-star-in-Julian-Assange-movie-for-Ten/RHGSFNAUDP.html http://if.com.au/2012/04/10/article/Anthony-LaPaglia-and-Rachel-Griffiths-to-star-in-Julian-Assange-movie-for-Ten/RHGSFNAUDP.html Amanda Diaz <p> Anthony LaPaglia and Rachel Griffiths will star in a telemovie about the early life of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for network Ten.</p> <p> Underground, from production company Matchbox Pictures, will film in Melbourne and be directed by Robert Connolly (Balibo). Connolly also penned the script for the movie.</p> <p> Griffiths will play Christine, Assange's mother, while LaPaglia will take the role of a policeman investigating the young hacker. Young actor Callan McAullife (I Am Number Four, The Great Gatsby) will also star.</p> <p> The role of Julian Assange has been given to newcomer Alex Williams. The actor graduated last year from the Western Academy of Performing Arts and is represented by Marquee Management.</p> <p> Underground will air later this year.</p> <p> Œ</p> <p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" height="500" src="/image/AlexWilliams1(1).jpg" width="333" /> WAAPA graduate Alex Williams will play Wikileaks founder Julian Assange</p> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:22:54 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/04/10/article/ACCC-approves-Austar-Foxtel-deal-with-conditions/AHOFBBHQNM.html http://if.com.au/2012/04/10/article/ACCC-approves-Austar-Foxtel-deal-with-conditions/AHOFBBHQNM.html Staff reporter <p> The competition regulator has approved Foxtel's acquisition of regional pay TV operator Austar after Foxtel agreed to a series of court-enforceable undertakings regarding online distribution.</p> <p> Foxtel will not be able to acquire exclusive internet protocol television (IPTV) rights for a range of television program and movie content or exclusively acquire any movie delivered on a transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) basis.</p> <p> The undertaking, which will apply for eight years, will restrict exclusive IPTV access for more than 60 current Foxtel channels including Universal, CNN, Disney, Eurosport, Family Movie Channel, MTV, Sci-Fi, Starpics, and World Movies.</p> <p> The undertaking also prevents Foxtel from acquiring exclusive mobile rights to such content when rivals want to combine mobile viewing with IPTV rights, allowing competitors to deliver an integrated package of programming across a number of devices.</p> <p> The Australian Competition and Consumer Tribunal (ACCC) said its main area of concern with the acquisition was in the national retail market for subscription television services, particularly in relation to the developing IPTV field, and a number of regional markets for the supply of fixed broadband and fixed voice telephony products. Telstra owns half of Foxtel and, following the merger, Telstra would have the ability to acquire preferential access to Austar’s existing subscriber base and potentially bundle fixed voice, broadband and IPTV services.</p> <p> “The proposed acquisition would bring together the two main subscription TV industry players in Australia each with a substantial customer base and significant access to key content," ACCC chairman Rod Sims said in a statement. "This would in turn give Telstra, Foxtel's largest shareholder, greater market power in regional fixed broadband and telephony markets.</p> <p> “By reducing content exclusivity, the undertakings will lower barriers to entry and promote new and effective competition in metropolitan and regional telecommunications and subscription television markets. Taking into account the undertaking which has been offered by Foxtel, the ACCC is satisfied that the proposed acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition.”</p> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:58:55 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/04/04/article/Conspiracy-365-24-meets-road-movie/YSKWFFXYUP.html http://if.com.au/2012/04/04/article/Conspiracy-365-24-meets-road-movie/YSKWFFXYUP.html Amanda Diaz <p> Since the runaway success of franchises like Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games, both Hollywood and the publishing industry have been driven by blockbuster stories that are targeted at teens but appeal to the whole family. It’s taken awhile, but 2012 is shaping up to be the year that local television finally catches on to the trend.</p> <p> The Family Movie Channel's Conspiracy 365 – based on the bestselling series by Gabrielle Lord – is dubbed by executive producer Linda Klejus as a cross between a road movie and 24.</p> <p> “All drama is evolving in a way, because of the HBO model,” says Klejus. “Film and TV production values are blurring.”</p> <p> With a $13 million budget, Conspiracy 365 is the most expensive subscription drama series ever made in Australia.</p> <p> The series follows teenage fugitive Cal Ormond, who is hunted by both sides of the law as he tries to discover the reasons behind the mysterious death of his father. Warned at the beginning of the first book that he must survive the next 365 days, each of the twelve installments is named by month. The show, which stars young AFI award-winner Harrison Gilbertson as Cal, follows the same format – one episode airs each month until the end of the year.</p> <p> Despite the young age of the lead character, Klejus is adamant that this is not a kid’s show. “Children’s drama is aimed at the under twelves,” she says. “And there are so many restrictions – how much violence is seen, how relationships are shown, how bad the bad guys are – that you end up with really sweet, saccharine drama.”</p> <p> Conspiracy 365 hopes to appeal across multiple demographics, in the manner of popular UK series like Merlin and Doctor Who.</p> <p> “As the audience fragments and everyone goes off into their niches, family drama appeals to the broadest possible demographic and brings people together,” she says. “Once people see it – this primetime thriller where the lead character is a 15-year-old kid, I think they’ll start to look at this area.”</p> <p> Klejus’s production company Circa Media has also worked closely with entertainment company Hoodlum to create a <a href="http://www.conspiracy365.tv/site/index.php" target="_blank">multiplatform strategy</a> – a “completely immersive experience,” which features webisodes, games, puzzles, news reports and a video blog from the main character.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p> Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:11:15 +1000 http://if.com.au/2012/03/27/article/Netflix-knocks-back-Terra-Nova-report/WZOGMOBXNE.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/27/article/Netflix-knocks-back-Terra-Nova-report/WZOGMOBXNE.html Brendan Swift <p> Internet streaming company Netflix will not pick up big-budget pre-historic drama Terra Nova after 20th Century Fox TV decided against producing a second series, according to <a href="http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/fox-drama-terra-nova-a-no-go-at-netflix/" target="_blank">Deadline.com</a>.</p> <p> Netflix and 20th Century Fox TV failed to come to terms after two weeks of negotiations although slender hopes remain that another production house or network will still pick up the series.</p> <p> Many of Terra Nova’s major cast have already moved on to other projects, according to Deadline: Jason O’Mara co-stars in CBS pilot Ralph Lamb; Allison Miller in NBC comedy Go On; and Christine Adams in ABC pilot Americana.</p> <p> A spokeswoman for Screen Queensland said the state agency had no further information.</p> <p> The 13-part Terra Nova series, produced by Steven Spielberg,Œemployed hundreds of Queenslanders although the production brokered employment terms below the usual standards expected of an international production.</p> <p> The series received mixed reviews in the US but was more successful overseas, ultimately turning a profit for Fox.</p> Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:41:20 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/26/article/ABC1-Christmas-comedy-starts-filming-in-Sydney/YZKYSTJDJL.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/26/article/ABC1-Christmas-comedy-starts-filming-in-Sydney/YZKYSTJDJL.html Staff reporter <p> Production on a new six-part comedy series from the team behind Review with Myles Barlow begins this week in Sydney.</p> <p> This Christmas , which will air on ABC1 later in the year,Œ follows Dan Moody (Ian Meadows) as he visits the dysfunctional family he moved halfway across the world to escape from. </p> <p> The series was created by Trent O'Donnell and Phil Lloyd of production company Jungleboys. O'Donnell (Review with Myles Barlow, Laid, Woodley, The Chaser's War on Everything) will direct, while Lloyd (who was seen last year as Tim Mathieson in ABC comedy At Home with Julia) will co-produce and star in the series. </p> <p> Other cast members include Patrick Brammall (Hawke), Guy Edmonds (Underbelly: Razor) and Jane Harber (Offspring)</p> <p> Each episode will be set a year apart, focusing on the Moody family as they come together to share the fights, fun, bad gifts, family secrets and boring uncles universally associated with Christmas Day.</p> <p> "Christmas is a time ripe for comic picking and the series promises to be both oddly familiar and deliciously funny," said ABC TV head of comedy, Debbie Lee in a statement. </p> <p> Lee will serve as executive producer alongside Jungleboys' Jason Burrows. </p> Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:57:01 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/23/article/Winners-announced-for-the-ASTRA-Industry-Excellence-Awards/UMYRSYVACT.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/23/article/Winners-announced-for-the-ASTRA-Industry-Excellence-Awards/UMYRSYVACT.html Matthew Worboys <p> The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) Industry Excellence Award winners were announced last night, with former Foxtel chief executive, Kim Williams, receiving the pioneer award at the subscription television conference for his contribution to the industry.</p> <p> Williams, now the CEO of News Limited, served a ten-year tenure at Foxtel, during which time he was a key player in the launch of Foxtel Digital. In his acceptance, Williams expressed pride at having left the company and the sector in a bigger and better state than he had found it. </p> <p> “We’ve created thousands of jobs for great Australian talent, and awarded both our viewers and our shareholders,” he said.</p> <p> The ASTRA awards were presented in three categories - platform marketing, program and channel promotion, and technology – and acknowledged television channels, operators and production houses as well as advertising and creative agencies for their contribution to the promotion of subscription television.</p> <p> The recent Austar AFL ad campaign won the award for most outstanding marketing campaign. The campaign, titled ‘Slap’, was awarded for its use of a simple concept to achieve a complex objective using a memorable device. </p> <p> While Crime & Investigation Network’s Kalgoorlie Cops took the award for on-air program promotion, the award for best off-air program promotion went to Showcase for their marketing campaign surrounding the series adaptation of Tim Winton’s novel cloudstreet. Of cloudstreet’s ads, the judges said “It was a great campaign that used various storylines to deliver an impactful PR message.</p> <p> Other winners included B430 Global Animal on Channel V and Fox Sports for their program Fox Field. For a full list of winners, see below: PLATFORM MARKETING </p> <p> MOST OUTSTANDING MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR SUBSCRIPTION SALES OR SUBSCRIBER RETENTION/EXTENSION </p> <p> Awarded to the most outstanding Australian consumer marketing campaign used to drive subscription sales and encourage customer retention and loyalty. AFL ‘Slap’, AUSTAR Judges Comment: Used a simple concept to achieve a complex objective using a memorable device. Humour extended it across all mediums used in the campaign. MOST OUTSTANDING USE OF STV FOR A CONSUMER ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN</p> <p> Awarded to an organisation for the most outstanding use of subscription TV in a consumer advertising campaign. Heineken Flick to Kick Rugby World Cup Campaign, FOX SPORTS, MCN, ZenithOptimedia, Holler & Lion Judges Comment: The unique broadcast capabilities of the match statistics of exclusive games provided a sense of participation rather than just live viewing. Outstanding results! PROGRAM AND CHANNEL PROMOTION </p> <p> MOST OUTSTANDING ON-AIR PROGRAM PROMOTION Awarded to the most creative and effective on-air program promotion for a single subscription TV program, series or event. Kalgoorlie Cops, Crime & Investigation Network Judges Comment: For a niche channel they achieved cut through, demonstrating humour, innovation and creativity which achieved outstanding results. MOST OUTSTANDING OFF-AIR PROGRAM PROMOTION Awarded to the most creative and effective off-air program promotion for a single subscription TV program, series or event. Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, showcase Judges Comment: The off-air component for Cloudstreet went across a vast variety of mediums and touchpoints. It was a holistic campaign that achieved outstanding results. It had highly impactful creative. MOST OUTSTANDING CHANNEL IMAGE SPOT Awarded to an organisation for the most creative and effective channel image spot designed to define, launch, build awareness, or change perception of the channel brand. Forever Classic, FOX Classics Judges Comment: FOX Classics was the one spot that really defined the channel in the best way possible from concept through to delivery. It was clever, simple and engaging. MOST OUTSTANDING MULTI-MEDIA PROMOTION </p> <p> Awarded to the most outstanding integrated consumer marketing campaign using technology and interactivity to promote an Australian subscription TV channel identity, program or a platform. B430 Global Animal, Channel [V] Judges Comment: The judging panel felt it was a well thought out and executed multi-media campaign that resonated with its audience. It had the judging panel reaching for their backpacks. MOST OUTSTANDING PR/COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN Awarded to the most creative and effective stand-alone PR or Communications campaign to promote an Australian subscription TV channel, platform, program and/or drive subscription sales/subscriber retention. Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, showcase Judges Comment: Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet helped position STV as a leader in Australian high end production. It was a great campaign that used various storylines to deliver an impactful PR message. MOST OUTSTANDING MARKETING CAMPAIGN UNDER $50,000 Awarded to the most creative and effective consumer marketing campaign to promote a channel identity or program with a total marketing budget of $50,000 or less. I Believeˆ Studio at the Melbourne Festival 2011, STUDIO Judges Comment: The campaign exemplifies what can be done on a small budget. It resonated and interacted with its audience in an emotive, impactful and creative way. Studio extended their partnership with The Melbourne Festival and leveraged the other partnerships available to further extend their reach on a limited budget. TECHNOLOGY MOST OUTSTANDING USE OF TECHNOLOGY Awarded for the most creative and effective use of technology for consumer use. FOX Field, FOX SPORTS Judges Comment: FOXField is something very different to what free to air offers as it builds the brand and would make you want to watch next time. It enhances the experience of watching sport and is on the mark in terms of the consumer.</p> Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:45:20 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/20/article/Adam-Zwar-talks-Agony-Uncles/DWOSWNQCPR.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/20/article/Adam-Zwar-talks-Agony-Uncles/DWOSWNQCPR.html Amanda Diaz <p> When Wilfred andŒLowdown co-creator Adam Zwar was in high school and university, he was fairly sure he must be deformed or charmless. Perhaps even both. At least in the eyes of women.</p> <p> "All I was hearing were stories of success, while I was just going through failure after failure," he says. "It wasn't until later in life that I realised that all guys feel like that, and I think it's important that guys know they're not alone when they luck out."</p> <p> Fast forward to 2012 and Zwar's production company has created Agony Uncles, a six-part series with the tagline 'When you have absolutely no-one else to turn to.'</p> <p> The series, which is executive produced by Zwar alongisde Amanda Brotchie and Nicole Minchin, features 18 men including animator Adam Elliott, academic Waleed Ali and actor Josh Lawson, discussing everything from picking up and the first date to getting your heart broken and moving on again.</p> <p> The shoot took place over four weeks early last year in different locations around Melbourne. Interviews with the 'uncles' are integrated with stock footage from old-school sex education videos.</p> <p> "I wanted to show that what the guys are talking about is timeless and nothing has really changed over the centuries," says Zwar. "Picking up, dating, falling in love, getting your heart broken, essentially the fundamentals are all the same."</p> <p> That's not to say it was always easy to get the men to talk. Comedian Lawrence Leung remembers the experience being surprisingly painful.</p> <p> "Guys don't normally talk about this kind of thing, at least not in such a public way," he says. "It was good to see all these guys from different walks of life had similar backgrounds of nervousness that I had."</p> <p> A companion show called Agony Aunts will air later this year, featuring Judith Lucy and Wendy Harmer. Aunts and Uncles were shot back-to-back and Zwar says he was surprised at the different attitudes that could be found in the two sexes when it came to all things love-related. "Guys do treat relationships as a little bit of fun, whereas in Agony Aunts I realised that women - even funny women - treat them as very serious business. It was quite profound, the difference." Agony Uncles premiers on Wednesday March 21 at 9:30pm on ABC1.</p> Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:13:35 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/21/article/Brendan-Cowell-on-Save-Your-Legs-and-The-Slap/VIPASDFJJZ.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/21/article/Brendan-Cowell-on-Save-Your-Legs-and-The-Slap/VIPASDFJJZ.html Andre Fenby <p> If anyone should be aware of the power of cricket to reveal the best and worst sides of human nature, it’s Brendan Cowell.</p> <p> After all, Cowell wrote (and stars in) the upcoming cricket comedy Save Your Legs! (which was recently filming in India) as well as two episodes of Matchbox Pictures’ The Slap, a fictional series exploring a traumatic chain of events ignited when an adult slaps a child during a backyard cricket game.</p> <p> Although Cowell looks upon both writing experiences fondly, they couldn’t be further apart in terms of tone. Save Your Legs! tells the story of Edward Teddy Brown, who starts a cricket team with his two best mates to embark on a tour of India and recapture his childhood dreams. The story is especially relevant to Cowell, a thirtysomething cricket fan.</p> <p> “You know the age that I’m in nowˆ most folks are getting married and having kids or they’re moving away ˆ the cricket team can’t always field a full team,” says Cowell, who explains that the film is about “that changing nature of friendship.”</p> <p> Cowell tells IF the idea for the movie began when he was attending the Sundance Film Festival for his role in the 2007 Aussie film Noise and met producer Nick Batzias, who also produced the 2005 documentary upon which Save Your Legs! is based.</p> <p> “We spent a lot of the night in Sundance listening to the Ashes on his Apple Mac while drinking beer,” Cowell remembers. “He sent me the doco when I got home and I said, ‘mate, you should turn that into a big, broad comedy, you know, a big bromance.’”</p> <p> But while the writer exercises his comedic streak on Save Your Legs!, it was only recently that he was delving into the darker side of human nature with The Slap. Although it is often described as controversial and modern, Cowell says the series is something of a throwback to the good old days of Australian drama.</p> <p> “We made Prisoner a long time ago; we made Blue Murder,” says Cowell, who wrote two of the eight hour-long episodes of The Slap, including the finale. “I think we’ve had 'ballsier' days. I just think we ˆ should return to them because I think Australian audiences are bored with what they’ve been getting.”</p> <p> What they have been getting, according to Cowell, are characters so mild that you have to “kill someone or drown someone” to make drama. “That’s not drama,” Cowell says. “Drama’s got to come from the characters.”</p> <p> Cowell is confident that Australian audiences are ready for “high-concept”, “big storylines” and “flawed characters”. And flawed these characters are: each episode of The Slap assumes the perspective of one of eight different people, wife beaters, adulterers, liars and drunks among them.</p> <p> “It’s very rare that you read something in Australia where all the characters are in very head-on conflict with their lives,” Cowell says. “We write a lot of passive characters and a lot of pedestrian stories.”</p> <p> Cowell wrote two episodes based on two starkly opposed characters, proud child-slapper Harry and troubled teenager Ritchie.</p> <p> “Writing a character like Harry who is very dark and angry and monstrous at times and has these deep-seated demons that he has to come to terms with, and then being able to write Ritchie who’s kind of pure and naïve and open to the world, it was just a fantastic kind of duo.”</p> <p> But Cowell is quick to say the episodes were also a collective effort, whereby everyone would pitch in ideas at writing workshops. “I wrote the words, but we all sat down and turned this book into a TV series.” </p> <p> While Save Your Legs! is inspired by a documentary, The Slap is based on an award-winning novel by Australian writer Christos Tsiolkas. Compared to the organic evolution of Save Your Legs!, this made for an interesting adaptive challenge.</p> <p> “We had to find a way to bring all these characters into each other’s lives so we didn’t forget about them from episode to episode,” Cowell says. “Bringing a lot of dreams and fantasies that are in the book in a monologue to life, that was a wonderful challenge.”</p> <p> Save Your Legs! is due for a theatrical release through Madman Entertainment in late-2012. The Slap is available on Blu-ray and DVD. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" height="336" src="/image/Save Your Legs.jpg" width="450" /> Cricket legend Glenn McGrath (wearing pink) and the cast of Save Your Legs!: from left, Steven Curry, Damon Gameau and Brendan Cowell. </p> Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:39:06 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/19/article/TV-Week-Logies-announce-2012-nominations/XJCOQOBJGD.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/19/article/TV-Week-Logies-announce-2012-nominations/XJCOQOBJGD.html Amanda Diaz <p> The nominations for the 2012 TV Week Logies were announced on Sunday, with long-running soap Home and Away and Nine’s Underbelly: Razor leading the pool with seven nominations each.</p> <p> Home and Away, which has been on air since 1988, received its nominations in the public-voted categories. It is up against Offspring, Packed To The Rafters, Winners And Losers and Underbelly: Razor for most popular drama series.</p> <p> Esther Anderson (who plays Charlie Buckton) is nominated for both the gold logie for most popular TV personality and the silver logie for most popular actress. Veteran Ray Meagher (aka Alf Stewart) will compete against stars from Wild Boys, Packed to the Rafters and Offspring for most popular actor, while Dan Ewing, Steve Peacocke and Demi Harman are nominated in the most popular new talent categories.</p> <p> Underbelly: Razor was acknowledged by both the public and industry peers. It earned nods for most popular series, actress and new female talent as well as for best series and the Graham Kennedy award for outstanding new talent.</p> <p> Matchbox Pictures series The Slap picked up nominations in the silver logie categories for most outstanding series, outstanding actor (Alex Dimitriades) and actress (Essie Davis and Melissa George). ABC miniseries Paper Giants was recognised in the same categories, with acting nods going to Rob Carlton and Asher Keddie respectively.</p> <p> Foxtel dramas cloudstreet and Killing Time and Ten’s Offspring picked up two nominations each.</p> <p> The 2012 Logies will be held on April 15 and broadcast on Nine.</p> <p> For a complete list of the nominees, see below.</p> <p> MOST POPULAR NOMINEES: TV WEEK GOLD LOGIE – Most Popular Personality on TV Adam Hills (Spicks And Specks, ABC1/Adam Hills In Gordon St Tonight, ABC1) Asher Keddie (Nina Proudman, Offspring, Network Ten /Ita Buttrose, Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo, ABC1) Carrie Bickmore (The Project, Network Ten) Esther Anderson (Charlie Buckton, Home And Away, Channel Seven) Hamish Blake (Hamish & Andy’s Gap Year, Nine Network) Karl Stefanovic (Today, Nine Network) TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Popular Actor Daniel MacPherson (Jack Keenan, Wild Boys, Channel Seven) Eddie Perfect (Mick Holland, Offspring, Network Ten) Erik Thomson (Dave Rafter, Packed To The Rafters, Channel Seven) Hugh Sheridan (Ben Rafter, Packed To The Rafters, Channel Seven) Ray Meagher (Alf Stewart, Home And Away, Channel Seven) TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Popular Actress Asher Keddie (Nina Proudman, Offspring, Network Ten /Ita Buttrose, Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo, ABC1) Danielle Cormack (Kate Leigh, Underbelly: Razor, Nine Network /Angela Travis, East West 101, SBS) Esther Anderson (Charlie Buckton, Home And Away, Channel Seven) Jessica Marais (Rachel Rafter, Packed To The Rafters, Channel Seven) Rebecca Gibney (Julie Rafter, Packed To The Rafters, Channel Seven) TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Popular Presenter Adam Hills (Spicks And Specks, ABC1/Adam Hills In Gordon St Tonight, ABC1) Carrie Bickmore (The Project, Network Ten) Chrissie Swan (The Circle, Network Ten) Hamish Blake (Hamish and Andy’s Gap Year, Nine Network) Karl Stefanovic (Today, Nine Network) MOST POPULAR NEW MALE TALENT Dan Ewing (Heath Braxton, Home And Away, Channel Seven) James Mason (Chris Pappas, Neighbours, Network Ten) Peter Kuruvita (Host, My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita, SBS) Steve Peacocke (Darryl “Brax” Braxton, Home And Away, Channel Seven) Tom Wren (Dr Doug Graham, Winners & Losers, Channel Seven) MOST POPULAR NEW FEMALE TALENT Anna McGahan (Nellie Cameron, Underbelly: Razor, Nine Network) Chelsie Preston Crayford (Tilly Devine, Underbelly: Razor, Nine Network) Demi Harman (Sasha Bezmel, Home And Away, Channel Seven) Melissa Bergland (Jenny Gross, Winners & Losers Channel Seven) Tiffiny Hall (Trainer, The Biggest Loser Australia, Network Ten) MOST POPULAR DRAMA SERIES Home And Away (Channel Seven) Offspring (Network Ten) Packed To The Rafters (Channel Seven) Underbelly: Razor (Nine Network) Winners And Losers (Channel Seven) MOST POPULAR LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM Australia’s Got Talent (Channel Seven) Hamish & Andy’s Gap Year (Nine Network) Spicks And Specks (ABC1) Sunrise (Channel Seven) The Project (Network Ten) MOST POPULAR LIFESTYLE PROGRAM Better Homes And Gardens (Channel Seven) Getaway (Nine Network) iFISH (Network Ten) Ready Steady Cook (Network Ten) Selling Houses Australia Extreme (LifeStyle Channel, FOXTEL) MOST POPULAR SPORTS PROGRAM 2011 AFL Grand Final (Network Ten) Before The Game (Network Ten) The AFL Footy Show (Nine Network) The NRL Footy Show (Nine Network) Wide World Of Sports (Nine Network) MOST POPULAR REALITY PROGRAM Beauty And The Geek Australia (Channel Seven) MasterChef Australia (Network Ten) My Kitchen Rules (Channel Seven) The Block (Nine Network) The X Factor Australia (Channel Seven) MOST POPULAR FACTUAL PROGRAM Bondi Rescue (Network Ten) Bondi Vet (Network Ten) Border Security: Australia’s Front Line (Channel Seven) RPA (Nine Network) World’s Strictest Parents (Channel Seven) MOST OUTSTANDING NOMINEES</p> <p> TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Outstanding Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie Cloudstreet (Showcase, FOXTEL) Offspring (Network Ten) Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo (ABC1) The Slap (ABC1) Underbelly: Razor (Nine Network) TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Outstanding Actor Alex Dimitriades (The Slap, ABC1) David Wenham (Killing Time, TV1, FOXTEL) Don Hany (East West 101, SBS) Geoff Morrell (Cloudstreet, Showcase, FOXTEL) Rob Carlton (Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo, ABC1) TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Outstanding Actress Asher Keddie (Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo, ABC1) Diana Glenn (Killing Time, TV1, FOXTEL) Essie Davis (The Slap, ABC1) Kat Stewart (Offspring, Network Ten) Melissa George (The Slap, ABC1) GRAHAM KENNEDY AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING NEW TALENT Anna McGahan (Underbelly: Razor, Nine Network) Chelsie Preston Crayford (Underbelly: Razor, Nine Network) Hamish Macdonald (Senior Foreign Correspondent, Network Ten) Hamish Michael (Crownies, ABC1) Melissa Bergland (Winners & Losers, Channel Seven) MOST OUTSTANDING NEWS COVERAGE “Lockyer Valley Flood” (Brisbane News, Channel Seven) “Qantas Grounded” (Sky News National, Sky News Australia, FOXTEL) “Skype Scandal” (Ten News At Five, Network Ten) “The Queensland Floods” (Nine News, Nine Network) “Unfinished Business” (SBS World News Australia, SBS) MOST OUTSTANDING PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORT “A Bloody Business” (Four Corners/Sarah Ferguson, ABC1) After The Deluge: The Valley (Paul Lockyer, ABC1) “Rescue 500” (Sunday Night, Channel Seven) “Salma In The Square” (Foreign Correspondent/Mark Corcoran, ABC1) Tour Of Duty: Australia’s Secret War (Network Ten) MOST OUTSTANDING LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM Australia’s Got Talent (Channel Seven) Gruen Planet (ABC1) Spicks And Specks (ABC1) Talkin’ ’Bout Your Generation (Network Ten) The Project (Network Ten) MOST OUTSTANDING SPORTS COVERAGE 2011 Australian Open Tennis (Channel Seven) 2011 Bathurst 1000 (Channel Seven) 2011 Melbourne Cup Carnival (Channel Seven) State Of Origin III (Nine Network) Tour de France 2011 (SBS) MOST OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM Camp Orange: Wrong Town, (Nickelodeon, FOXTEL) Lockie Leonard (Nine Network) My Place (ABC3) Saturday Disney (Channel Seven) Scope (Network Ten) MOST OUTSTANDING FACTUAL PROGRAM Go Back To Where You Came From (SBS) Leaky Boat (ABC1) Mrs Carey’s Concert (ABC1) Outback Fight Club (SBS) Tony Robinson Explores Australia (The History Channel, (FOXTEL)</p> Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:30:49 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/19/article/Filming-begins-on-ABC1-telemovie-Dangerous-Remedy/AVRVOUOVDO.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/19/article/Filming-begins-on-ABC1-telemovie-Dangerous-Remedy/AVRVOUOVDO.html Brendan Swift <p> FIlming has begun on a new ABC1 telemovie about Dr Bert Wainer and two extraordinary women who exposed the deadly impact that Melbourne's anti-abortion laws had in the 1960s.</p> <p> Dangerous Remedy is currently shooting in Melbourne and stars Jeremy Sims (Corridors of Power, Fireflies, Underbelly Files), William McInnes (Curtin, East West 101, Look Both Ways), Susie Porter (East West 101, Sisters of War, East of Everything), Maeve Dermody (Paper Giants, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Beautiful Kate), Mark Leonard Winter (Balibo, Van Dieman’s Land, Blame), as well as Gary Sweet and Caroline Craig.</p> <p> The political-thriller is set in 1969 and follows Bert Wainer, a local GP, who embarks on a campaign for law reform after the death of a young woman. He discovers an illegal abortion ring protected by corrupt homicide detectives, allowing the medical establishment, media and politicians to ignore the impact of anti-abortion laws.</p> <p> ABC TV head of fiction, Carole Sklan, said: “Dangerous Remedy reveals a truly courageous man and his heroic efforts to expose police corruption and protect vulnerable women from men who profited from their suffering.”</p> <p> Producer, Ned Lander, said: “This is a story of the remarkable Dr Bertram Wainer – a passionate and flawed man whose campaign challenged and changed our society.”</p> <p> Dangerous Remedy, inspired by Dr Bertram Wainer's 1972 book It Isn't Nice, is written by Kris Wyld (East West 101, Wildside) and directed by Ken Cameron (Underbelly, Wildside, Brides of Christ).</p> <p> Contact this reporter at <a href="mailto:bswift@if.com.au" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">bswift@if.com.au</a> or on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/bcswift" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px" target="_blank">@bcswift</a>.</p> Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:26:51 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/14/article/Entertainment-industry-to-lobby-government-for-more-SBS-funding/WYUIUARVDT.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/14/article/Entertainment-industry-to-lobby-government-for-more-SBS-funding/WYUIUARVDT.html Brendan Swift <p> The entertainment industry is calling for more funding to bolster SBS's drama and documentary production.</p> <p> The Friends of SBS, a parliamentary group convened by MPs Steve Georganas, Paul Fletcher and Senator Scott Ludlam, will hold a lunch in Canberra on Thursday where Australian producers, performers and industry leaders will call on the government to provide SBS with more financial support.</p> <p> Among the lunch delegates will be Julia Zemiro (RocKwiz), Bruce Spence (R.A.N.); producers Penny Chapman (The Slap), Nick Murray (Go Back to Where You Came From), Joe Connor (RocKwiz); director Mark Joffe (Neighbours, Wild Boys); Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) president and producer Brian Rosen, SPAA executive director Geoff Brown; and Actors Equity director Sue McCreadie.</p> <p> “SBS is unique in the world as a multicultural broadcaster and should be considered a national treasure,” Zemiro said in a statement. “SBS needs our continued support. It plays a critical role in telling the stories of real, multicultural Australia, reflecting the true diversity of the Australian community.”</p> <p> The public broadcaster has struggled in recent times due to declining advertising revenue and rising programming costs. Its lack of resources have directly impacted respected local dramas such as East West 101, which was cut short, while last year, SBS cancelled big-budget drama Dusty at an advanced stage of pre-production due to tight finances.</p> <p> SBS has no locally-produced dramas planned for this year and its level of original Australian content is predicted to reach an all-time low of less than three hours per week, according to the statement announcing the lobbying effort from SPAA, the Australian DIrectors Guild, and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.</p> <p> SPAA's Brian Rosen said government revenue for SBS had been flat for some time.</p> <p> “Combined with significantly rising costs and a decline in commercial revenue, overseas programs have been used to fill the void at the expense of quality Australian programs that tell our multicultural stories and provide our perspective on the world. This is a sad state of affairs for a public broadcaster with a proud history. Urgent action from government is required."</p> <p> Contact this reporter atŒ<a href="mailto:bswift@if.com.au" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">bswift@if.com.au</a>Œor on Twitter atŒ<a href="http://twitter.com/bcswift" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px" target="_blank">@bcswift</a>.</p> Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:26:02 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/13/article/BBC-America-buys-Go-Back-To-Where-You-Came-From-format-from-SBS/UOIYJMVMJN.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/13/article/BBC-America-buys-Go-Back-To-Where-You-Came-From-format-from-SBS/UOIYJMVMJN.html Amanda Diaz <p> BBC America will adapt Cordell Jigsaw's documentary series Go Back To Where You Came From.</p> <p> It marks the first time SBS has signed a deal with a major US broadcaster.</p> <p> "It's rare for a televiison format to be able to break new ground using an issue that's a political hot button worldwide," said SBS managing director Michael Ebeid. "The high level of interest from both international broadcasters and production companies is testament to the compelling nature of the format."</p> <p> The series, which aired last year during Refugee Week, followed six people as they experienced situations faced by real asylum seekers on a daily basis, including travelling in a leaky boat and living in a refugee camp. It was SBS's highest rating program last year.</p> <p> Production companies and broadcasters in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and South Africa have also signed on to produce local versions of the show.</p> Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:09:28 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/08/article/FremantleMedia-Enterprises-strikes-first-look-deal-with-Pukeko-Pictures/IHPNZVIDCG.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/08/article/FremantleMedia-Enterprises-strikes-first-look-deal-with-Pukeko-Pictures/IHPNZVIDCG.html Brendan Swift <p> FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) has struck a 'first look' deal with Weta Workshop's affiliate TV business, Pukeko Pictures.</p> <p> The companies, which plan to work together on new scripted television series, have jointly hired former Atticus Entertainment executive Adam Fratto to head development of new television projects aimed at the global market.</p> <p> He will work from FremantleMedia’s LA office although the two companies are expected to tap into the vast resources of Weta Workshop, which has provided physical and digital effects for films such as Avatar, District 9 and The Adventures of Tintin.</p> <p> While at Atticus Entertainment, Fratto spearheaded television, feature and new media development under a first-look deal with HBO. He is also co-executive producer of mystery series Haven, based on The Colorado Kid novel by Stephen King, airing on Syfy in the US and more than 100 cable channels around the world.</p> <p> Fratto will report to Martin Baynton, co-owner of Pukeko Pictures, and work alongside Jeff Tahler, FME’s senior vice president of global content, and Tony Optican, senior vice president of scripted programming for FremantleMedia North America.</p> <p> FME has previously worked with other global companies to produce TV content, such as The Wedding Band (with Tollin Productions for TBS in the US) and Hit & Miss (with Abbott Vision for Sky Atlantic in the UK). Pukeko has developed the successful children's TV series The WotWots.</p> <p> Contact this reporter atŒ<a href="mailto:bswift@if.com.au" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">bswift@if.com.au</a>Œor on Twitter atŒ<a href="http://twitter.com/bcswift" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px" target="_blank">@bcswift</a>.</p> Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:50:02 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/07/article/Federal-Court-rejects-Screen-Aus-appeal-against-Lush-House-offset/GBSCUUISJL.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/07/article/Federal-Court-rejects-Screen-Aus-appeal-against-Lush-House-offset/GBSCUUISJL.html Brendan Swift <p> The Federal Court of Australia has confirmed that TV documentary series Lush House should qualify for the Producer Offset rebate after Screen Australia challenged last year's similar <a href="http://if.com.au/2011/06/27/article/CGQMENAWAV.html" target="_blank">decision</a> by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.</p> <p> The national screen agency originally rejected Essential Media and Entertainment's Producer Offset application because it viewed the ten-episode cleaning series as a 'reality' program. However, Essential argued that the series, which follows household expert Shannon Lush as she gives cleaning advice to homemakers, was similar to another of its programs, Is Your House Killing You?, which did receive the tax break.</p> <p> The AAT confirmed Essential's position although Screen Australia then challenged that judgement in the Federal Court.</p> <p> Essential said the Federal Court did not find any fault with the process followed by the lower court in determining that Lush House is eligible for the 20 per cent tax rebate available for broadcast documentaries.</p> <p> Essential Media and Entertainment chief executive Chris Hilton said the company is pleased with the Federal Court decision.</p> <p> "It represents a win for the Australian production industry as a whole and should provide more certainty to producers who are seeking to invest the Producer's Offset as part of their project finance," he said in a statement.</p> <p> "The factual production industry can now move forward with the hope that Screen Australia will consult closely with it on clearer definitions for eligibility for the Producer Offset program. Essential will continue to work with Screen Australia on this issue and continues to partner directly with Screen Australia on an exciting slate of films and television programs over a range of genres."</p> <p> Screen Producers Association of Australia executive director Geoff Brown said it is concerned that Screen Australia has wasted taxpayer funds pursuing the case, which has also caused uncertainty across the industry.</p> <p> “The uncertainty for producers and financiers that Screen Australia’s actions have caused, has seriously disrupted production,” he said in a statement. “We had requested both management and the board of Screen Australia not to take this to the Federal Court and to reach industry agreement as to what qualified for the Producer Offset. Unfortunately our request fell on deaf ears.”</p> <p> Screen Australia said only four screen projects which have sought Producer Offset status as a documentary have been rejected from 252 applications since July 2008. The 248 final certificates approved by Screen Australia represented a total tax rebate of $44.2 million.</p> <p> "Regardless of the definition of documentary adopted, there will always be some programs which are at the margins, and which challenge classification as documentary," Screen Australia said in a statement. "It is, and has always been, Screen Australia’s intention to make decisions about these programs in good faith, reasonably and in accordance with law."</p> <p> The screen agency will not appeal the Federal Court decision.</p> <p> Nonetheless, the decision will also place further focus on the inherent conflict of interest Screen Australia has in not separating its direct investment team and Producer Offset assessment committee – a situation that SPAA has been particularly critical of. (Screen Australia's head of development, Martha Coleman, and head of production investment, Ross Matthews, sit across both committees.)</p> <p> The Offset was designed as a market-based funding mechanism that has little cross-over with the cultural aims of Screen Australia-funded documentaries, according to SPAA.</p> <p> Contact this reporter atŒ<a href="mailto:bswift@if.com.au" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">bswift@if.com.au</a>Œor on Twitter atŒ<a href="http://twitter.com/bcswift" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px" target="_blank">@bcswift</a>.</p> Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:00:30 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/07/article/Offspring-actor-Jay-Ryan-cast-as-beast-in-US-pilot-Beauty-and-the-Beast/NHORNIABOS.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/07/article/Offspring-actor-Jay-Ryan-cast-as-beast-in-US-pilot-Beauty-and-the-Beast/NHORNIABOS.html Sam Dallas <p> Local actor Jay Ryan – best known for Terra Nova and Offspring – may have cracked the tough North American market after being cast as “The Beast” in US TV drama pilot Beauty and the Beast.</p> <p> Ryan, who last year played Curran – a murderous security guard on the <a href="http://if.com.au/2012/03/06/article/Fox-pulls-the-plug-on-big-budget-series-Terra-Nova/HQZMFHGWEF.html" target="_blank">recently-cancelled</a> dinosaur series Terra Nova, will play “beast” Vincent Koslow in a reboot of the 1980s CBS drama which starred Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman.</p> <p> He will star opposite ‘beauty’ Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), while other cast members include Austin Basis (Life Unexpected), Nicole Gale Anderson (Jonas) and Nina Lisandrello (Pre). The CW drama series is being described as a modern-day romantic love story with a procedural twist.</p> <p> It reportedly centres on Catherine (Kreuk), a tough-minded NYPD homicide detective, haunted after witnessing her mother’s murder nine years ago and the killers’ quick demise at the hands of a beast. After years of searching, Catherine finally finds the beast, Vincent Koslow (Ryan), the survivor of a military experiment that went disastrously wrong, and becomes the protector of his secret life as a superhero.</p> <p> This will be Ryan’s US debut. Born in New Zealand, he is also known for playing Fraser King on popular Channel Ten series Offspring. Other credits include feature film Lou, and TV series Sea Patrol (William ‘Spider’ Webb) and Neighbours (Jack Scully).</p> Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:39:32 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/06/article/Fox-pulls-the-plug-on-big-budget-series-Terra-Nova/HQZMFHGWEF.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/06/article/Fox-pulls-the-plug-on-big-budget-series-Terra-Nova/HQZMFHGWEF.html Sam Dallas <p> Pricey prehistoric Fox drama Terra Nova has been cancelled, ending months of ongoing speculation.</p> <p> According to online <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/terra-nova-cancelled-fox-spielberg-258808" target="_blank">reports</a>, Fox has made the dinosaur series extinct, however it will be shopped to other networks.</p> <p> Despite Terra Nova – the most expensive TV series ever – running a profit, the move comes as no surprise. Season two needed to go into production in February for the heavy visual effects to be completed before the fall (September).</p> <p> This is a major sting for the local industry which had hopes for a second series being shot in Australia. Hundreds of locals were employed for the 13-part first series, which was shot in southeast Queensland. They included Oscar-winner John Cox and Emmy-winner Angelo Sahin (their work can be seen in the February/March issue of <a href="http://www.intermedia.com.au/index.cfm?page=mag.magDesc&mid=29&area=magazines" target="_blank">IF Magazine</a>).</p> <p> It would’ve been a major boon for the local industry after big-budget feature film Paradise Lost was <a href="http://if.com.au/2012/02/10/article/Alex-Proyas-Paradise-Lost-called-off-and-Digital-Domains-local-office/KTAWRLWWYS.html" target="_blank">cancelled</a> last month because of budget problems.</p> <p> Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/09/idUS372547219620120109" target="_blank">said</a> earlier this year that it was the second-highest rated drama of the fall, in the midst of declining ratings for dramas.</p> <p> The first series – backed by Hollywood heavyweight Steven Spielberg – followed the Shannon family as they were transported 85 million years into the past to help restart civilisation. In the US it reportedly averaged 7.5 million total viewers. Reviews were positive at the start and at the end of the series, however the show slipped in the middle.</p> <p> Fox will instead focus on developing five new drama pilots, including a project from The Vampire Diaries’ Kevin Williamson starring Kevin Bacon. Its new series Alcatraz, starring Sam Neill, and Touch, starring Kiefer Sutherland, have opened with impressive numbers. Œ</p> Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:20:26 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/05/article/Zoe-Naylor-on-the-benefits-of-ongoing-training-for-actors/VZRBQYIBAU.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/05/article/Zoe-Naylor-on-the-benefits-of-ongoing-training-for-actors/VZRBQYIBAU.html Zoe Naylor <p> Well, I can’t believe it’s been almost a decade since graduating from drama school and almost a decade since I’ve done any further drama study. I mean, I’ve worked closely with dialect coaches over the years and privately with teachers preparing auditions, but in terms of flexing the muscle in a classroom environment I haven’t done much.</p> <p> Having spent the last two pilot seasons in LA, it’s incredible to see the commitment actors make to the evolution of their craft. It’s not unusual to find professional actors taking two classes a week alongside their usual filming or stage commitments. That’s before their regular voice class, Alexander class and weekly session with a therapist which, according to renowned American acting coach, Larry Moss, are a must.</p> <p> It’s funny, but in my late-teens and early-20s I couldn’t get enough of everything ‘drama’. There was ATYP, On Camera Connections, drop in classes at the Actors Centre, followed by three years of drama school, during which time I even ventured to London to train with Philippe Gaulier.</p> <p> But what happens once we graduate? Do we become lazy? Jaded? I’m sure many actors will agree it’s actually not for lack of enthusiasm. I’m always nodding in agreement when watching ‘Inside the Actors Studio’ and hearing actors talk about their passion for learning, growing and improving.</p> <p> So, in Australia where do we go to deepen our craft? Who can we work with after leaving drama school? Especially considering if our drama school was interstate? To my knowledge there aren’t many regular classes available.</p> <p> In America on the other hand, there are many consistent, accessible classes aimed at working actors – classes run by world-class teachers like Ivana Chubbuck, Margie Haber and Larry Moss. Chubbuck coached Charlize Theron before winning the Oscar for Monster and Halle Berry for Monster's Ball while Larry is the man behind Hilary Swank’s repeated success. These are but a few.</p> <p> At the beginning of the year, 16th Street Actors Studio in Melbourne brought out Chubbuck to run an intensive four-day masterclass espousing her famous ‘Chubbuck’ technique. There were 32 places for professional actors based on submission then selection. You paid about $1200 to participate and it really gave us a taste of what these regular classes are like.</p> <p> Each actor was assigned a scene partner and allocated a scene, which Chubbuck chooses. My partner Aaron Jeffery and I were given a gutsy scene from When a Man Loves a Woman.</p> <p> The instruction was then to read Chubbuck's book, Power of the Actor (which you are given), and apply her 12 steps to the work. Once that is complete you continue with your rehearsal process before presenting the scene on stage at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne for Chubbuck, your classmates and 300 auditors in the audience. I’m sure the other actors will agree, that the nerves before going on felt like an opening night on steroids.</p> <p> After working on stage with Chubbuck for about an hour, you then watched the remaining scenes for the day before heading back to the rehearsal room at night to re-work the scene with the new notes, in preparation for a second performance.</p> <p> Chubbuck used to be a stand-up comic and her candour is dry. She can be persistent and bold at times but is incredibly honest. Her method is all about using your life ‘stuff’ to infuse your choices so you can create dimensional characters.</p> <p> We watched every single actor grow enormously in the work they produced. Watching Pia Miranda and Natalie Imbruglia tackle playing a lesbian relationship infused with drug addiction in a scene from GIA; pushing Sarah Snook and Andrew Lees to get out of their comfortable playing zones by using bold choices in a scene from Memento; Zoe Tuckwell Smith and Ryan Gibson raise the bar by playing their scene (also from Memento) from a place where they wanted to win contradictory to the obvious depravity of their situation. Ella Scott Lynch and Michael Sutherland brought the house down by playing more of the subtext in their scene from When Harry Met Sally (and it wasn’t even the orgasm scene) and Christopher Sommers and Jane Barry did a brilliant job with Kramer vs Kramer by breathing more life into all the moments in between their lines.</p> <p> Refining objectives, then really pursuing those objectives, seemed the key to unlocking great performances time and time again. During the masterclass, Chubbuck also worked with Jeffery on a cold read audition he was preparing for, which was invaluable to see.</p> <p> At the end of the four days I felt so proud to have been able to share such an intimate yet exposing working environment with 31 incredibly talented actors. I felt like I had a new sense of confidence in my work. I also had a new in depth process to apply to breaking down a script and I wanted more. I wanted now to tackle a different scene. I wanted to be able to follow it up with more classes.</p> <p> Thank you to Kim, Jamie and everyone at 16th Street for your passion, energy and unwavering support. How lucky your students are to have mentors like you.</p> <p> Zoe Naylor has worked extensively in film, television and theatre. She recently starred in The Reef alongside Gyton Grantley and Damien Walsh-Howling and has just completed filming the lead role in US sci-fi thriller Robotropolis due for release this year. She has worked on Mcleod’s Daughters, Orange Roughies and The Book Of Revelation as well as US productions, Evil Never Dies, Fearless and Virtual Nightmare. For more info you can visit her official <a href="http://www.zoenaylor.com" target="_blank">website</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ZoeNaylorOfficial" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/NaylorZoe" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" height="248" src="/image/16th_Street.jpg" width="450" /> Actors at the four-day masterclass with Ivana Chubbuck. </p> Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:10:29 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/05/article/Foxtel-commissions-new-Prisoner-series-titled-Wentworth/BYJXEEGDWR.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/05/article/Foxtel-commissions-new-Prisoner-series-titled-Wentworth/BYJXEEGDWR.html Sam Dallas <p> A contemporary “re-imagining” of iconic Australian series Prisoner has been commissioned by Foxtel.</p> <p> Production company FremantleMedia, under the helm of director of drama Jo Porter, will produce Wentworth – a series set in the present, beginning with central character Bea Smith’s early days in prison. The storylines will include some of the original inmates and staff of the Wentworth Detention Centre (the fictional women's prison in Prisoner) and characters especially developed for the new series. </p> <p> A spokeswoman said Lara Radulovich and David Hannam developed Wentworth from Reg Watson’s concept and characters.</p> <p> Foxtel’s executive director of television, Brian Walsh, said it was not a remake of Prisoner – which aired in 14 countries and premiered on Ten in 1979 for an impressive 692 episodes. Foxtel will be hoping for a similar reaction.</p> <p> “Wentworth will be a dynamic and very confronting drama series, developed and stylised specifically for subscription television audiences,” Walsh said in a statement. “We have told producers to push all boundaries and honestly depict life on the inside as it is in 2012.”</p> <p> Walsh said it was a contemporary drama which brought new life to some of the great female characters many viewers came to love and loved to hate.</p> <p> “There will be surprises, twists and turns all along the way. This is a major drama initiative for Foxtel which will engage existing Prisoner fans and entice entirely new audiences with its bold storytelling.</p> <p> “We are especially delighted to work with FremantleMedia and their revitalised drama division under Jo Porter. I know that, after many successful years at Seven, Jo will bring a particular energy to this important drama project for Foxtel.”</p> <p> Porter, the original producer of Seven hit <a href="http://if.com.au/2012/02/09/article/Sevens-Packed-To-The-Rafters-is-back-for-season-five/OZWPLUIFJV.html" target="_blank">Packed To The Rafters</a>, said it was a compelling drama series about women, which would "take audiences inside a unique environment governed by its own rules".</p> <p> “The series explores the politics of women in a world with few men, and how the experience both challenges and changes them, sometimes for the better,” she said.</p> <p> “It’s a drama series built on the great Australian tradition of overcoming the odds to find mateship and belonging in the most unlikely circumstances. We’re very excited to be casting for so many strong female characters.”</p> <p> FremantleMedia Asia Pacific chief executive Ian Hogg is confident of the series which he describes as “bold, relevant and adventurous”.</p> <p> Wentworth – currently in Pre-Production – will be shot in Melbourne in the coming months. Œ</p> Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:20:39 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/03/05/article/Kevin-Harrington-cast-as-Cliff-Young-in-Cliffy-telemovie/RNTPJUJSZM.html http://if.com.au/2012/03/05/article/Kevin-Harrington-cast-as-Cliff-Young-in-Cliffy-telemovie/RNTPJUJSZM.html Brendan Swift <p> Kevin Harrington has been cast as Australian ultra-marathon runner Cliff Young in upcoming ABC1 telemovie Cliffy.</p> <p> Set against the backdrop of the early-80s, Cliffy will retrace Young’s journey from his days training in cow paddocks on his farm to winning the inaugural Sydney to Melbourne ultra-marathon at 61-years of age.</p> <p> “It's a great honour to be given the opportunity to celebrate the achievements and the character of such an extraordinary Australian," Harrington said in a statement. “I've lost 11 kilos and I'm working on his voice. Mind you, the time is fast approaching to stop talking the talk, and start shuffling the shuffle. Jeez, I hope I don't bugger it up!”</p> <p> Harrington (Underbelly, Seachange, Neighbours), will star alongside Roy Billing (Jack Irish, Underbelly, Rake), who will play Young's unconventional trainer and masseur, Wally.</p> <p> Producer Nigel Odell said the filmmakers had learnt a lot about Cliff Young through research and discussion with his brother Sid, and other family and friends.</p> <p> “Kevin has many of the same personal qualities as Cliff and he’s been working extremely hard in preparing for the part," he said in a statement. "We are delighted to be working with an actor of Kevin’s calibre, and we look forward to capturing the memory and legacy of the great Cliff Young.”</p> <p> The telemovie was written by Robert B. Taylor (Muggers) and will be directed by Dean Murphy (Charlie & Boots, Strange Bedfellows).</p> <p> Filming begins on April 16 in regional Victoria.</p> <p> Contact this reporter atŒ<a href="mailto:bswift@if.com.au" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">bswift@if.com.au</a>Œor on Twitter atŒ<a href="http://twitter.com/bcswift" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px" target="_blank">@bcswift</a>.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" height="645" src="/image/Kevin Harrington (Cliffy).JPG" width="450" /> Kevin Harrington as Cliff Young. </p> <p> Œ</p> Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:47:18 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/02/27/article/Network-Ten-commissions-Being-Lara-Bingle-and-The-Living-Room/UWUHDJRVGP.html http://if.com.au/2012/02/27/article/Network-Ten-commissions-Being-Lara-Bingle-and-The-Living-Room/UWUHDJRVGP.html Fay Al-Janabi <p> Network Ten has commissioned two new prime-time entertainment shows, Being Lara Bingle and The Living Room.</p> <p> The new shows were announced less than a week after Ten told the market that its first half earnings would be 40 per cent lower than a year earlier as it implements a new programming strategy amid tough advertising market conditions.</p> <p> Network Ten chief programing officer David Mott said the two new programs were part of the broadcaster's plan to win back viewers.</p> <p> “Being Lara Bingle and The Living Room are the first of a series of programs we plan to introduce to this year’s line up, deliberately developed to introduce a different, more playful flavour to our schedule, and one we are sure our audience will not only embrace but celebrate,” he said in a statement.</p> <p> Many of Ten's new programs for 2012 are currently being rolled out including morning show Breakfast, six-part TV series Brothers in Arms, as well as the return of drama Offspring and reality program MasterChef Australia.</p> <p> However, Deutsche Bank analysts have raised concerns about Ten's early 2012 ratings performance. "Whilst it is early in the 2012 ratings period, it is alarming that despite the introduction of Ten's new program schedule, the average ratings share in the first Seven weeks of the year is 25 per cent with new shows losing momentum each week," they said.</p> <p> In Being Lara Bingle, the fashion model is the latest celebrity to trade her private life for wider media exposure through a reality TV program. Widely recognised for her appearance in Tourism Australia’s 2006 campaign, So where the bloody hell are you?, as well as her relationships with high-profile sports stars, Lara Bingle’s notoriety soared after a nude photograph of the fashion model was leaked to Woman’s Day magazine.</p> <p> Lifestyle series The Living Room, hosted by Amanda Keller, Chris Brown, Barry Du Bois and Miguel Maestre, will combine studio banter and video segments.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" height="300" src="/image/The Living Room.jpg" width="450" /> The cast of The Living Room. </p> Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:15:09 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/02/27/article/Katrina-Sedgwick-appointed-ABC-TVs-head-of-arts/FCLTIUNZYO.html http://if.com.au/2012/02/27/article/Katrina-Sedgwick-appointed-ABC-TVs-head-of-arts/FCLTIUNZYO.html Brendan Swift <p> Inaugural Adelaide Film Festival director Katrina Sedgwick has been appointed ABC TV's new head of arts.</p> <p> The role was previously held by <a href="http://if.com.au/2011/12/08/article/Amanda-Duthie-to-lead-BigPond-Adelaide-Film-Festival/LMLEWMQAUM.html" target="_blank">Amanda Duthie</a> (as ABC head of arts and entertainment), who resigned last December to accept the role as Adelaide Film Festival director.</p> <p> Sedgwick, who led the biennial festival since its inception in 2002, will take up her new position at the ABC in Sydney on April 11.</p> <p> ABC TV director Kim Dalton said the new stand-alone role would provide stronger focus on the ABC's arts programming. “As a result of <a href="http://if.com.au/2011/08/03/article/STWSDJIQVS.html" target="_blank">changes to our arts production</a> and line up last year, we have increased the resources committed to primetime arts programming to be commissioned from the independent production sector,” he said in a statement.</p> <p> "At this time of change, Katrina will bring a wealth of expertise from her extensive and impressive background across the arts as a practitioner, producer and festival director. She has a track record in creating, commissioning and curating arts programming and events as well as building significant partnerships with art organisations."</p> <p> Last September, <a href="http://if.com.au/2011/09/05/article/XYSYEKBSDJ.html" target="_blank">Sedgwick resigned</a> from her Adelaide Film Festival role to pursue other opportunities. "The newly created role of head of arts offers me the exciting opportunity to extend the curatorial and management skills I have developed at the AFF and particularly its film and television investment program,” she said in a statement.</p> <p> Sedgwick has played a key role in the Adelaide Film Festival's investment fund, which has supported almost 50 projects including feature films Samson & Delilah, Look Both Ways, Ten Canoes and Snowtown, and documentaries Forbidden Lies and Mrs Carey’s Concert.</p> <p> Many of those films also had strong support from the ABC, including Samson & Delilah, which was the first feature film to receive significant <a href="http://if.com.au/2010/03/24/article/NXOBQRGRAW.html" target="_blank">financial support</a> (via a pre sale) from the ABC in over a decade. After taking $3.1 million at the local box office last year, it debuted on ABC TV three days ahead of its DVD release.</p> <p> Sedgwick also conceived the AFF’s The Hive Laboratory which brought together artists and filmmakers to cross-pollinate their ideas and creative processes. The Hive Investment Fund, supported by ABC TV and the Australia Council, will result in three projects by leading arts practitioners moving into the world of film and television.</p> <p> Contact this reporter atŒ<a href="mailto:bswift@if.com.au" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">bswift@if.com.au</a>Œor on Twitter atŒ<a href="http://twitter.com/bcswift" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; font: 12px/17px arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(232,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px" target="_blank">@bcswift</a>.</p> Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:50:42 +1100 http://if.com.au/2012/02/27/article/Cordell-Jigsaw-and-Zapruders-Other-Films-merge-Cordell-Jigsaw-Zapruder-is-born/KAXLONNJJU.html http://if.com.au/2012/02/27/article/Cordell-Jigsaw-and-Zapruders-Other-Films-merge-Cordell-Jigsaw-Zapruder-is-born/KAXLONNJJU.html Sam Dallas <p> Two prestigious Australian independent production companies have joined forces.</p> <p> Sydney companies Cordell Jigsaw – established by Michael Cordell and Nick Murray – and Zapruder’s Other Films – led by Andrew Denton, Anita Jacoby and Peter Thompson – have formed Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder (CJZ).</p> <p> The combined company, touted as the biggest privately-owned production company in Australia, currently has 10 shows in the works for ABC, Nine, Ten, SBS and Foxtel. Such series include quiz show Randling (ABC), telemovie The Great Mint Swindle (Nine), Mega Truckers (Foxtel) and Country Town Rescue (ABC). The first show goes to air this Wednesday morning on ABC3 – You're Skitting Me – which was previously known as LOL. The children's sketch show is a first for Australia.</p> <p> Established in 2005, Cordell Jigsaw has been responsible for such productions as Bondi Rescue, Hardliners, Recruits, O’Loughlin and the popular Go Back To Where You Came From. The latter – SBS’ highest-rated show of 2011 – saw Cordell and Murray win Documentary Producers of the Year at last year’s <a href="http://if.com.au/1970/01/01/article/SPAA-Independent-Producer-Awards-and-Screen-Music-Awards-winners-announced/NWGXWSLMUY.html" target="_blank">SPAA Independent Producer Awards</a>. Series two is currently in production.</p> <p> Murray said the Cordell/Zapruder tag-team represented a big step for the company. “The combined teams have great complementary skills. We’re all looking forward to mixing the creative talent from each company. The ultimate goal is to have some fun while delivering the best quality ideas to networks and audiences.”</p> <p> Zapruder’s Other Films is known for producing such shows as CNNNN, Enough Rope,ŒHungry Beast, AFP, Can of Worms, The Joy of Sets and The Gruen Transfer. The Gruen Transfer, hosted by comic Wil Anderson, recently won the <a href="http://if.com.au/2012/02/01/article/Snowtown-and-The-Slap-clean-up-at-inaugural-AACTA-Awards/JBYWAHWHZY.html" target="_blank">AACTA</a> Best Light Entertainment Program. The company also co-produced its first scripted feature with Distracted Media: low-budget flick The Tunnel.</p> <p> In a statement, Denton said: “We have long seen ourselves, separately, as local corner shops up against multinational supermarket chains importing overseas formats by the container-load. Combined, we will have greater strength to continue championing lovingly-made, original, Australian television. We remain the fresh food-for-thought people... only bigger”.</p> <p> Cordell added: “We’ve spent years trying to poach their staff and they’ve spent years trying to poach ours. The only sensible thing is to jump in to bed together and see how good the sex is”.</p> <p> The CJZ libraries and formats will be managed internationally by Cordell Jigsaw Distribution. Œ</p> Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:54:58 +1100